Noida officials told to check if markets are following weekly offs

The district magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar has asked city magistrate and deputy labour commissioner to inspect Atta Market and some other areas to check if the shop owners are following the weekly off system.

On Monday, shop owners under the banner of the Bharatiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal gave a representation to the district magistrate, complaining that many are violating the weekly off order.(Burhaan Kinu/HT Photo)

The district magistrate (DM) of Gautam Budh Nagar has asked city magistrate and deputy labour commissioner to inspect Atta Market and some other areas to check if the shop owners are following the weekly off system. Shop owners in Atta in Sector 27 have been told to keep the market closed on Wednesdays. The officials have been told to submit a report after the inspection.

Noida has nearly 50 markets. In January, the district administration asked shop owners to observe weekly offs in different markets on a rotational basis to ease the traffic load and decongest the city. The order is applicable for industrial areas as well. Medicine shops and dispensaries have been exempted. Malls have also been exempted by the Uttar Pradesh Shops and Commercial Establishment Act 1962.

DM NP Singh ordered the inspection after residents of the city complained that shop owners are violating the weekly off system.

“I have received complaints that many shops in Sector 18 and Atta Market are violating the weekly off order and the same may be the case with other markets. That is why I have asked the city magistrate and deputy labour commissioner to inspect markets and take action accordingly. I have sought a report at the earliest,” Singh said.

City magistrate Bachhu Singh said he will send a team of the enforcement department to inspect markets across the city.

On Monday, a group of shop owners under the banner of the Bharatiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal gave a representation to the district magistrate in this regard.

“We have made videos of Atta Market, Sector 18 and other areas and submitted them to the labour commissioner. The district magistrate has ordered shop owners to keep their establishments in Sector 18 shut on Tuesday and Atta Market on Wednesday. Many shops are violating the order but the administration has not taken any action against them,” said Sushil Kumar Jain, district president of the Mandal.

Saurabh Kumar, a shop owner in Atta Market, said, “We pay tax to the government and follow the DM’s order. But there are hundreds of shops that are illegal and are also violating the weekly off order. They do not pay tax to the government. We are losing business due to the laxity of the authorities.”